William j



HE'R, WASHINGTON. n C,

METERS, PHCTO-UTHOGRAF UNrrEn STATES PATENT Erica.,

WILLIAM J. FRYER, JR., OF NEW YGRK, N. Y.

iLLUNilNATlNG-TILE FOR ROOFS AND PAVEMENTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 235,677, dated December21, 1880.

v Application filed October 7, 1830. (Model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. FRYER, Jr., iron manufacturer, of N o.104 Goerek street, in the city of New York, in the county and State ofNew York, have invented a. new and useful Improvement inIlluminating-Tiles for Roofs and Pavements, of which the following is aspecifica-tion, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Figure 1 is a top view. Fig. 2 is a crosssection, and Fig. 8 is aview of the under side.

A A are glasses. l5 is the iron frame or grating. C is the putty orcement to make a water-tight joint between the glass and iron.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

A very common article of manufacture is rough plate-glass eut in squaresof six by six or four by four inches and set in an iron grating for theroofing or covering 0f an area to a building.

To make a more elegant article of manufacture is the object of myinvention; and to this end I insert glasses of the form shown in thedrawings in an iron frame, the upper surface of the glass and the ironbeing on the saine plane, and the glasses being so checkered as toobscure from sight persons passing over or standing upon them.

Manufacturers of illuminated tiles have directed most of their skill toimproving lenses by working out curious and novel ways of increasing thevolume of light and accomplishing other purposes, such as carrying offthe water, Ste., leaving almost untouched the cheaper and com menerkinds of tiles-squares of rough plate-glass set in an iron frame-and yetcast-glass squares neatly configured cost but little if any more thanrough plate-glass cut into squares ofthe proper size to fit the frames.Already I have found that the publie appreciate my efforts to give aneater appearance to this style of tile than could be obtained for thesaine money previously.

On reference to my drawings, it will be seen that my glasses arechanneled on top to prevent slipping, and underneath are cut up intonumerous small squares to obscure any person or object above. A plainlevel border on the under side is left where the glasses rest on therabbet of the iron frame.

There is, of course, nothing original in casting glass havinggeometrical lines or figures on its surface. Such lines and squares asImake use of are to be found on glass table-ware, inkstauds, and otheruseful and ornamental articles in glass-as, for instance, ordinarycorrugated sky and deck lights. It will be noticed, however, that allsuch articles are ent and configured on one surface only, while myglasses are lined on both surfaces, and these, when set in and combinedwith an iron frame, as described, form a new article of manufacture. Itwill be further noticed that my improvement is not in the direction ofsecuring a powerful and multifarious refraction and reieetion of lightby providing ridge-like protuberauces, or a plurality of elevatedbearing-points, to catch the horizontal and oblique rays of light andrefract the same into the space beneath, instead of being reflected fromthe surface of the glass and lost. Such arrangements belong to the moreexpensive kinds of tiles, and the field ofinvention in that directionhas been pretty well cultivated.

I desire to go on record with the V,declaration that when my glasses(made, say, four by four inches square, or less) are set in an ironframe and used for the covering of an areaway, or what is known asabaseinentexten sion,77 the use of these for such a purpose would be iuviolation of an unexpired patent granted to T. Hyatt, August 2, 1867,No. 68,332, and reissued August 6,187S,No.8,363. As a license under thatpatent, and therefore having the right to use this particularimprovement for the covering of basementextensions, I have no desirewhatever to claim herein the right to cover a',basementeXten sion withsmall glasses the style shown in my drawings when set in an [ironiframe; but,

As `my original invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is-

As a new article of manufacture, glasses configured on the upper andlower surfaces as shown in the drawings, when set in and combined withan iron frame, for the purposes set forth.

WM. J. FRYER, JE. Witnesses J onN Anims, ARTHUR LAWRENCE.

